Markham Fair is one of Canada's oldest country fairs, an annual event established in 1844 and hosted by the
Markham, Ontario
Markham () is a city in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest ...
and East York agricultural society. With over 700 volunteers working on more than 70 committees, Markham Fair is the largest community-based
volunteer organization in Canada. The fair and fairgrounds are owned by the Markham and East York Agricultural Society.
The fair occurs annually on the weekend before
Canadian Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (french: Action de grâce) or Thanksgiving Day (french: Jour de l'Action de grâce), is an annual Canadian holiday and harvest festival, held on the second Monday in October, which celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the ...
, and hosts upwards of 80,000 attendees. Approximately 3,000 exhibitors enter more than 12,000 items, which are judged and put on display during the fair. Promoting excellence through competition in this way makes fairs unique in comparison to other events.
Agricultural societies used to meet on a regular basis to discuss various concepts of
agricultural
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...
improvement such as
livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to anima ...
development and increased
grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit ( caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legu ...
yields. Often the society would collectively purchase a bull or seed grain, which would be made available to members only. The fall fair would then be an opportunity for the farmers to compete by showing off the fruits of their labour.
Due to increased technology and rapid communication, agricultural societies no longer find it necessary to provide this service, but the Markham Fair continues to create the forum known as the fall fair, providing the community with a showcase for talents and products in a friendly competitive spirit.
As well as the competitive displays, the community is further brought together to enjoy various forms of entertainment such as
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...
pull,
demolition derby
Demolition derby is a non-racing motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their veh ...
,
tractor pull
Truck and tractor pulling, also known as power pulling, is a form of a motorsport competition in which antique or modified tractors pull a heavy drag or sled along an , track, with the winner being the tractor that pulls the drag the farth ...
, midway rides and displays of farm animals.
The 2020 Markham Fair was cancelled due to safety concerns amid the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. It was also cancelled in 1917–18 & 1942–44.
The 2021 Fair was held but required prepurchased tickets and physical distancing by means of one way walk through fairgrounds. Food vendors were available near the exit but carnival rides were left out.
Fairgrounds
The fairgrounds are located in northern Markham at the northeast corner of
McCowan Road and
Elgin Mills Road
York Region, located in southcentral Ontario, Canada, assigned approximately 50 regional roads, each with a number ranging from 1 to 99. All expenses of York Regional Roads (for example, snow shovelling, road repairs, traffic lights) are funded ...
and sits on of former farm land (once farmed by Jonathan 'John' Williamson) and Stuart and Trevor Watson.
The site has several buildings used to house trade shows and other events. A 1/2-mile track and 4 wood stables are used to store animals. To the east of the fairgrounds is
Little Rouge Creek.
The original fairground was located at the present day
Markham Village Library at southeast corner of Markham Road and Highway 7 (farmland of
Robert Goodfellow Armstrong and
Wellington Hotel
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
). The fair moved to the current site in 1977, as the original fairground area grew less agricultural.
The current library building was built to mimic the shape of the old Agricultural Hall that once stood at the site (along what is now Highway 7 on the south side from
Washington Street to
Jerman Street). A fire in 1916 burned down the new hall, ice rink and other buildings (barns). Only the rink was rebuilt (years later in 1963) on the site and currently part of the
Markham Village Community Centre. The area where the track once sat are now homes with
Reeves Park along
Highway 48.
Events
Many shows and events are showcased throughout the duration of the fair. In previous years these shows have included:
* Agri-food Tent Shows (cooking shows)
* Gymnastics demonstration
* Freestyle Moto-Cross (FMX) Bike Demonstration
* Demolition Derby
* Tractor Pull
* Sheep Shearing Demonstration
Other events
A number of local events use the fairgrounds outside of the fair days including home shows, trade shows and warehouse sales.
Midway
World's Finest Shows runs the midway located at the West Gate of the fairgrounds.
History
The earliest recorded fair held in Markham was in 1857 at the fairgrounds then located on the South East corner of the junction of Highways 7 (Wellington Street) and 48. Prior to that, fairs were held in
Unionville, Ontario in 1855 and also in Markham.
The fair attracted farm participation from east section of
York County based loosely on the
York East (provincial electoral district) (East York, Scarborough, Markham, Whitchurch).
In 1865 Captain William Armstrong granted of his land for the fairgrounds to build several buildings (grandstand, track, stalls, ice rink, exhibition hall) including a single floor agricultural hall. A new two floor hall, ticket office and rink was planned in 1894 and in 1916 a fire destroyed those buildings and were later replaced with a larger Agricultural Hall (Crystal Palace) to house the fair. The massive brick by rink would serve as an early recreation centre.
In 1963 the fair buildings were demolished to make way for the
Markham Village Cenotaph and
Community Centre
Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...
(including indoor ice rink). In 1977 the Fair relocated to its current site where the four-day fair is held annually on the weekend preceding Canadian Thanksgiving. The Markham Village Library was built in 1980-1981 (on land bought by the then Town of Markham in 1975) now occupies the site of the old fairgrounds and mimics the barrel vault design of the old Agricultural Hall.
Board of directors
The society is an Ontario corporation that owns and operates the fair and its properties. It is governed by a board of 24 directors, who are elected at each annual meeting for a three-year period, and six junior directors (between the ages of 18–26) who are elected annually for a one-year period. All directors are elected by members of the society who attend the annual meeting. From among the directors, the President (Chair) and two vice-presidents are elected following the annual meeting, along with a Treasurer, General Manager, and Secretary.
Mission
The mission of the society is to encourage an awareness of agriculture and to promote improvements in the quality of life of persons living in an agricultural community by:
* researching and developing programs to meet the needs of the community;
* holding annual agricultural exhibitions featuring competitions for which prizes may be awarded;
* promoting the conservation of natural resources;
* encouraging the beautification of the community; and by
* supporting and providing facilities to encourage activities to enrich the community
In addition, there are over 750 volunteers involved with the operations, which fill the board seats and form some 75 committees, which share administrative duties and the Fair operating procedures.
See also
Other Canadian annual fairs
*
Canadian National Exhibition
The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day ...
-
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
*
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and feat ...
-
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...
*
Edmonton K-Days -
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...
*
Pacific National Exhibition -
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...
*
Central Canada Exhibition -
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
*
Canadian Lakehead Exhibition
The Canadian Lakehead Exhibition (CLE) is an annual regional fair in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Similar in nature to the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, it features local and regional artisans and farmers, a midway, concessions and nu ...
-
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its populatio ...
*
Red River Exhibition
The Red River Exhibition (or "The Ex" for short and historically as Manisphere) is a ten-day festival hosted every summer, in June, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The event takes place at Exhibition Park and features a midway, concerts, stage shows, an ...
-
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...
*
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF), also known as The Royal, is an annual agricultural fair that is held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the first two weeks of November. It was inaugurated in 1922 in the Coliseum, on the grounds of Exh ...
-
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
*
Royal Manitoba Winter Fair -
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...
*
Schomberg Fair -
Schomberg, Ontario
*
Sooke Fall Fair {{Infobox recurring event
, name = Sooke Fall Fair
, logo =
, image =
, caption =
, location = Sooke, British Columbia
, years_active = {{years ago, 1919
, dates =
, genre = fall fair
, websi ...
-
Sooke, British Columbia
*
Streetsville Bread and Honey Festival -
Mississauga
*
Western Fair -
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximat ...
References
External links
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{{Markham, Ontario
Annual fairs
1844 establishments in Canada
Fairs in Ontario
Tourist attractions in Markham, Ontario
Festivals established in 1844